When your epic backstory doesn't match the level in D&D - Level 1 Backstories
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- Not all D&D players quite understand how to write a backstory for level 1
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I like the idea that the wizard actually was once a great wizard. He made a bunch of clones that didn't turn out the same strength as himself. So the clones all remember these great things the original did but don't have nearly the same power as him.
I love how you turn a joke about meaningless backstories and uncreative players to create new characters and make it an epic story.
Yes. It's an rare story.
Sounds a bit like Baradun's current kerfuffle.
What a interesting character idea. Might adapt it into my own character.
Almost like the story of the main character in "Torment: Tides of Numenera" and his predecessors.
Unfortunately the rat also had a long and complicated backstory, it was adopted by two dragon parents who were murdered by a dwarf. The rat swore vengeance and tracked the dwarf to a local tavern.....
Imagine a campaign where you had to keep playing as the thing that killed you. ^^
@@Ackalan then die in the first encounter with a strong boss "by accident" and be op for the rest of the game?
@@BayWa4eva How does a low level character just happen upon a high level encounter?
@@insaincaldo by ignoring the age old phrase “are you sure you want to do this?”
@@Ackalan Me: Jumps off a building to become the entire fucking planet
Level 1 backstory: I was a gardener eavesdropping at the window of my closest friend when a wizard convinced him to go to a volcano in the worst part of the country.
How was he convinced?
Well it went a little like
"Hey go to this volcano"
"Eh sure"
Master Sam Gamgee.
"So I booked it out of there before that rich git tried dragging me along! You know he wanted to fly into Mordor on eagles? Like there isn't a giant eye in a tower to see them coming? Aristocrats, amiright?"
Except he wasn't dropping no eaves.... 😆
Username More like
“There are some really bad wraiths coming after you. If I were you I’d get the hell out!”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
"What I lack in experience, I make up with enthusiasm", we've all been there, bruh.
I’ve been scrolling to see if anyone caught that 😆
This would make for a good logo for generation Z males, minus the enthusiasm part.
Brain rotten zoomer can't write a paragraph without adding bruh
"That sounds a lot like my story actually." "Really?" "No, but I did want to go next." Love the line, love the delivery.
Yes, here in switzerland we released her back to new zealand just to make these skits.
We want her back afterwards though ☝️
@@Dargoneth what are you talking about?
@@Seelenschmiede Britt lives in switzerland. Thats why you didnt see her anymore.
@@Dargoneth Britt lived in Canada. Then she came home.
@@Dargoneth Nah her family is from Switzerland and she was in Canada stuck there because of the unspecified virus of unknown origins (had to do that cuz UA-cam really hates the name of that virus)
I loved how Rob's backstory was just 'Sword for hire'. Which is one of the most appropriate level 1 backstories ever.
He gave me the impression of a veteran player who knows that a big backstory does not a good character make. One who instead makes his character special by deed and development. It's always the newbies who show up with overblown multiple page backstories, only to die within the first few sessions to a trash mob...
@@Veloziraptor111 My story is 18 pages, but this character starts at level 3 and i leveled it to 4 already, stories doesn't have to be about achievement, it's just character development. i have no achievement in my story, on the contrary, almost everyone in my story is stronger than me.
@@abdelrhmanelabyed6339 Different strokes for different folks. If you take pleasure in writing long stories about your characters, no one can take that away from you. Although I would hardly call it "development". But a word of advice if you want other players to enjoy your character's story with you: nobody is likely to be interested in reading 18 pages on a character before they take their first steps in the campaign. It is far more efficient to organically develop your character as you progress through the campaign, pulling out tidbits from their backstory as they become relevant for the current situation. Don't be afraid to make them up on the spot! Improvising is half of what DnD is about. It is good, even necessary for roleplay, to have a broad outline of who your character is and what drives them, but an excessively large backstory from the get-go can be mentally taxing for you, the DM and other players to deal with, especially if you expect it to be incorporated into the campaign in any way.
I would have to disagree, sir. The backstory is the backbone of every character since it helps you roleplay and you don't have to remember weird stuff about things you'd have made up. Also the backstory is an important tool for the DM to implement your past into the world. If, as a DM, you don't know the backstory of a character because there is none and instead make up him meeting his forgotten sister or whatever (after consulting the player of course), then you're taking away the surprise and immersion in my opinion. You'd know that in the next session or the one after that you're going to meet your forgotten sister. Only your character would be surprised where instead it could be you as well and have a memorable moment at the table if only you had written a backstory for the DM to weave into the plot.
@@Reiji77 Indeed it is the backbone of every character, but it doesn't mean it has to be the size of a short story in a novel. You don't need that much in order to create a broad outline of a personality for your character that you can then roleplay. And even if you do (which is fine, because you are entirely at liberty as to what should be done with your character and how much effort should be put into any aspect of it), the other players and especially the DM need not be party to it. At least not initially. Bear in mind that while their character may seem like the world to the player, a DM has a million more things to keep track of, without the added burden having to consider a dozen additional pages for a character that may not even make it to the next session (especially at level 1). Sure, as I said, different strokes for different folks, but as a player, I would feel rude if I dropped something like that on my DM early on, and as a DM, I am thankful if my players keep their backstories concise (or, at the very least, provide me with a tl;dr version of them). As the session goes on and the character gains levels and importance, I prefer to then work with the player to develop their character by giving them a bigger role to play in the world. Usually by that time the player also has a better idea of who they want their character to be (and may even have thought the backstory over, changing some parts to better fit with the campaign, as they themselves learn what the campaign is about). In my experience at least, such organic and flexible development not only results in better pacing, but better fleshing out of characters who then integrate into the campaign more seamlessly.
""I've dedicated my life to him and been granted...Minor powers." Slays me every time.
“I’ve been granted- *casts thaumaturgy* minor powers” is hilarious when half of Tiefling bloodlines have thaumaturgy as a bonus cantrip
Nerd!
@@christianpervert525 Fool…
All of us are nerds to us that is a complinent.
@@christianpervert525 that's... why were here 😊
Funniest thing to do with thaumaturgy, slame a door into someone's face
@@christianpervert525 Compliments will get you everywhere, friend.
So happy that this has finally started! I've been so nervous! I hope you like the series! If you wanna see us playing D&D for real, come check us out on this channel! ^^^
Love this! Looking forward to more.
No need to be nervous, Rob! Its a great episode :)
This is great !!
Rob, what a debut. Well done sir!
Awesome!
I always liked making characters with fairly normal backstories. "Me? I was a farmer but my land got bought out for highway construction. Decided to go into adventuring. My family? All still alive and well. I visit from time to time. Why are you looking at me like that?"
My fellow man. Lesss go.
That reminded me of characters trading backstories in "1 For All" - everyone else had some tragic backstory, where their family died etc... and Antrius the Bard says his family is fine, he visits them regularly. Then everyone else looks at him as if he's some kind of freak. ;)
My monk’s background story: “oh he was just hanging around the monastery as a kid so his parents signed him up as a kind of summer camp just to get some peace and quiet.”
When your character just works at the bar as a normal commoner during session one where the party meets at said bar
Once I made a half orc barbarian that had rage issues cause papa wasnt proud of me. He believed he was a human, since his mother aways said that he was a normal kid that just got too big. Turns out she cheated her husband with a orchish scholar who left his tribe for a life of seclusion, and her husband loathed the bastard son as a reminder but actually liked the kid since it was "the only usefull one of the bunch"
Gotta be honest, Byron makes the best damn dwarf I've ever seen. His size, personality, voice, and demeanor fit the Dwarf stereotype perfectly. I can't wait for more.
Isn't he supposed to be a gnome?
@@JohnSmith-ty2he Via the Viva la Dirt League community posts:
"Meet Fargrim! A dwarf wizard played by the incredible Byron Coll. (etc...)"
And his twin brother is amazing!
@@JohnSmith-ty2he I thought he was a gnome too.
Gotta love when he stands up from his chair only to stay the same height.
Imagine going to a group of complete strangers irl and telling them your over-dramatic life story out of nowhere 😂
Apparently people with PTSD do that
Exactly! A backstory should guide how you play the character, it's not something to sing to the rooftops every chance you get.
@@davidmorgan6896 Well they are also good to give the GM some adventure and campaign seeds to use later. And they are fun to sprinkle parts throughout the game as you slowly tell your companions more and more about your life. First meeting works best with mostly just your class. Without just saying your class though. Example here "sword for hire" works good.
@@giordanodsouza9563 also people with Cluster B personality disorders do that all the time
That's just called being gay and meeting other gays. 😂
"Oh no! My identical twin brother!" - So many D&D players, including my roommate. Way too accurate.
Also happens in Beerfest!
I don’t get it. I don’t play D&D. I just love VLDL.
@@jeffreymorreale7223 When some people's characters die they will make a near/perfect duplicate of them for the next one. It's understandable to pick the same class if you liked it and you could save some time not picking all the same stuff, yet it doesn't really make sense storywise unless you throw that twin thing in there or gods forbid, a clone.
I kind of hope him getting killed by pointless and insignificant things is a running gag.
Sorry, but a normal rat is pretty insignificant in D&D.
Now it if had been a giant rat, or a dire rat, or even an undead giant rat skeleton, that would have been something to worry about at first level, but not a single normal rat. (I guess he made constitution his dump stat.)
@@robertrosenthal7264 It was from a rat hivemind....that was out of range to be linked...
The production value and the acting to back it up…you folks in front of and behind the camera are all incredible…that make up and costume design HOLY
Cool..
Actually, "Cool" to be the 1st one to respond to your comment which is highlighted, making sure everyone gets to read mine, with what I wrote as if it even made any sense at all...
Oh gosh... what wouldn't we do to get attention, Gotta find another hobby..🙄 seriously
Nova!!!
Ikr. We need a crossover between VLDL and deerstalker pictures someday. That would be awesome. x'D
Perfect video to sip a good cup of tea to 🙂
The thing I find most amazing is the restraint used on the makeup, costuming, and decor. They make it _fit in_ to that world, whereas many others would have half-orcs and dwarves that look completely out of place.
"Targrim huh? Lemme guess... you've also slain a kraken and a lich as well?"
"Oh, nay! My identical brother, Fargrim, killed those first... I had to slay... THE KRAKOLICH!"
"Also, we should set aside a pool of our earnings from this first quest to resurrect our slain party member."
Actually, now that you mention it, Krakens are known to temper with their bodies and alter their form to better fit their needs in their quest for 'perfection' and try anything to avoid their 'Hateful Compulsion', potentially including undeath, so a 'Krakolich' would totally make sense.
His death by rat makes me suspect his back story, just a tiny bit.
@@seriousthree6071 rat OP
@@seriousthree6071 It was probably a vorpal rat. *Snicker snak!*
"Nay, twas my brother, Fargrim the Just, who slew those beasts. All I ever managed to kill was A GODS DAMNED Tarrasque...the OLD version."
Everyone's out here talking about Falgrim, and I just can't stop chuckling over Phoenix casually sipping a drink and peeking up over the edge of the table.
Her character is so smol!
I didn't see her. Now I have to start over. xD
Edit: Okay, cute. ❤️ To be fair, my screen was a bit dark.
Oh my gawsh, I totally didn't see her! Thanks. And they're riffing on her height -- or, you know, lack thereof.
Who's phoenix?
@@potatoheadpokemario1931 She was the young girl @ 0:45. She plays the rogue & has a French-sounding accent even though she's from New Zealand. She also starred in VLDL's short film "Baelin's Route."
Brilliant, great production values and performances.
Quality is way up here. I mean it was good fun for a bit, a few folks messing about, but this could be on the tele.
Agreed, absolutely wonderful.
Wow didn't expect you here, or is it Ghost watching some d&d? 😁
@@Benjiman20 right?
Thank you very much! 🎉
At least you guys made it out of the tavern with only one death! 🔥 Can't wait to see the rest of the season.
Should have used a fireball, right? ;)
By now, they still are on the table, far from leaving the tavern...
No pyromaniacs in our party! Yet...
Had a game once. Level 1. Typical bland tavern start. Earth shaking thump. Massive red dragon rips the roof off of the tavern. DM calls for initiative rolls. :v
A crossover would be epic
Alright. When his identical twin brother show'd up I actually laughed really really hard. Having someone die in session 0 is pretty spot on for D&D good job guys. Can't wait for more.
Recently I had a very experienced player make do a really daft thing, he was trying to be the brash money grabbing dwarf character. Seeing the oppurtunity to get a nice longboat to sail, he jumped down of the ship they were travelling and had been set upon by a small band of pirates. I clarified that he wanted to jump off the ship, into the boat, where the remaining 4 pirates were currently waiting for their gang.
Well he dropped down the 20 foot, fluffed his acrobatics roll, took heavy damage that dropped him below zero, and proceeded to bleed heavily before his party members could come to his rescue, and sensibly decided not to jump the 20 feet down. 1 hero point gone in the first encounter that was there purely to bond the group........
Reminds me of an episode i had recently where some one said something really stupid while i was in the middle of puking in the trash can. I started laughing so uncontrollably that i momentarily choked in my own vomit: but on the plus side, i had already forgotten about being so miserably sick in the first place! :)
Also a new character showing up - particularly one that matches the recently died one in every way except for _the first letter of his name_ - is also brilliantly true.
When Shank or Carbos fill the contract in the prologue.
My bard almost died in my first session. The other players let me go hide in the back while they attacked.
Britt got her character down to a T
The bardic enthusiasm, the delivery of her words...
Amazing! Can't wait for the others to act their characters out as well
well, she is a performer in real life. . .
.
.
.
.
they all are
"I killed a dragon, a kraken, and a lich."
"Really?"
"No, but that's what I intend on saying in one year or so." is the answer to recover from that lol
"where do you see yourself in 2 years?"
"in the stomach of a slayn dragon"
"..."
"Look, either we were crazy enough and attacked one to be found dead by some real warriors, or we had been freakin' lucky and were the ones to search the cadaver for the unfortunate party that weakened him enough for us."
In my first ever campaign I had a sweeping epic backstory (wood elf druid) but I explained away the level shift with saying that I had gotten swept up in success so had lost touch with nature so much that i'd lost almost all the abilities I had acquired over my life, sylvanus had removed from me to send me on a humility based quest and would slowly restore them if my actions pleased him. I quite liked overall how the backstory worked. I also just really enjoyed crafting a sweeping narrative to explain myself.
@@halesm5720 I've had a lvl 1 ancient "wizard" who claimed himself to be an archmage, but actually flunked out of his apprenticeship. He didn't actually own a proper spellbook, but a series of scrolls tied together with thread... Which he often forgot where it was.
Whenever I wanted to cast a spell, if I'd run out of slots, the wizard would pull out a "scroll" and read out.... Whatever random list he'd found in his pockets. A dozen eggs and a carton of milk? Some bat eyes and iguana scales? Whatever he'd written down he needed to buy next time in town.
@@bragnir that's... amazing
In his defense, He did all that, in his past life before he TR'd (is that a thing in D&D5e?)
"What i lack in experience i make up for in enthusiasm"
The most underrated quote in this whole video lmao
Very close to human sounding dialoge indeed xD
"I know nothing but I´ll do that with all my heart, all my soul, all my spirit and an absolute lack of knowledge !"
Huh....sounds like my boss.
I use the same line when trying to pick up girls...
I mean, that's most adventuring parties, tbh.
@@chrismast2790 I'm in this picture and I don't like it.
I love the idea that the "bla"grimms are really a bunch of facsimiles, but no one can differntiate between them, so some achived some great feats and everyone gets the praise for them. They just roll with that even if it's unjustified and braggish.
I was gonna comment the same. If there's 26 of them running around, no wonder their list of achievements is far longer than you'd expect.
Damn it was worth the wait!
Are you here to debunk a character`s martial background?
well, thats a surprise for sure.
@@hulmhochberg8129 But a welcome one
i never actually played it and still find this video awesome and understood it all no problems
Now I want to play a low level character that's known as "the kraken slayer", and hated the nickname because he didn't actually slain a kraken. He was just a crew on a ship full of heroes, that happened to be attacked by a kraken. The heroes killed the kraken, while my character hides in a barrel. Everyone who happened to be on the deck started to be called "the kraken slayer". My character hates it, but the heroes was too nice and said things like, "well without you helping on the ship we won't be able to do all that."
Or, you accidentally killed the captain's cat which was named Kraken...
Alternatively you were the only survivor of the explosion that a more selfless hero set off. Your hiding place was sufficiently distant and protected that you survived without fatal damage. You were found wounded on a deck of corpses next to the remains of the kraken. Obviously you were the hero. Your attempts to deny it only displayed how humble you are, trying to give the credit to the fallen.
I like that idea. Do it!
@@Nerdnumberone A good RP crew going along with this would be brilliant. "No, really guys, I didn't kill that kraken." "Oh look at him, still being so humble." Even better if they begin to get annoyed by this 'humble' denial, to the point that just not denying it is actually the only way to keep the peace.
You should play a luck Halfling with the feats that give you the ability to manipulate rolls and have random good luck all the time.
SO MANY TIMES.
I spent 20 years studying the arcane, and now I know 6 spells; all level 1.
I lived my entire life in a forest, but I do die in a round against 2 wolves.
Asmodeus saw great potential in me and we made a pact where I would be his champion, I cast eldritch blast and miss the bandit.
I was the sole survivor of an earth shattering calamity, fighting tooth and nail against countless evils as my whole squad was annhilated.....but i can maybe take two hits by a goblin and heal someone for 5 hp.....once a day
I hate this stuff from players. It's like they want to start where most campaigns end. Plus, I hate when they come up with a better backstory than the game I want to run! "Oh, you fought all that way, just to find out the father you wanted to avenge WAS the evil magelord? Well, this adventure is gonna be a major letdown..."
@@Ian_sothejokeworks I'd rather have someone give me something over the top like that, which I can then help them trim back to something more believable, than never receiving anything from my players.
In my current campaign, one of my players seems to just refuse sending me a backstory, but then gets upset when I don't give him a cool personal/backstory related quest, or "mess up" his character's family. I'm sorry? You want your brother to be a mighty, infamous vampire lord, or your family to be the wealthiest, most powerful noble family in a republic that abolished the nobility? Well, if I had even an inkling of backstory for him, then maybe I could've worked with you to try and set up his story in the world.
Asmodeus saw _potential_ not actual ability
@@Ian_sothejokeworks Well, since every campaign starts at level 1, maybe you have to consider increase the starting levels to 10 and higher. You say D&D is unplayable at higher levels? That's a fact.
As a GM of many years, I can say this was painfully true. Where to even begin?
With the level 26 backstory a player writes out while starting out at level 1, and then said player is upset when a kobold one-shots them.
Yeah his backstory was over the top, but he could be a notorious liar and that could be part of his act. 🤔
Also, don't you think it's weird how we introduce our characters with their deepest motivations right from the get-go, like the priest? Honestly, if I was a listening villain, I'd immediately plan a trap baiting the priest by throwing some kid in a river. 😅
Yeah, actually, i think it should be to keep a large part secret for a few sessions.
I mean, in every group I've played in we in no way introduce our backstory and motivations except where it matches our character's persona. Backstories are meant to unfold over the course of the campaign or even through a campaign dedicated to it.
But the skit is still excellent
@@rainevasquez662 Well, in video games it's the same. You ask a companion who he is and he will give you all his cv and his family history. Hell!!! I just wanted to know if you liked beer, I don't care about you being the king's bastard or you being a cursed sorcerer.
:) I had the same thought. I hadn't realized someone already commented on it though.
Do we do that? I would consider it really bad role-playing - unless the character is some kind of PT Barnum.
The details in this is just absolutely marvelous.
For instance when Byron puts his hands on the table to dramatically stand up and then its just about 1 foot cause hes a dwarf XD
Looks great
So freakin good. Byron is a goddamn treasure. Can’t wait to watch this unfold.
wonder how many times he is going to die :P
@@A.Martin My guess: once per episode, every time a new identical brother turns up
holy shit i didnt even realize that was byron
Brian? Beryran? Bryran?
@@astridessarielle7471 ...no comment...
I like to give myself backstory challenges, and one I gave was to make a backstory that included several levels worth of adventuring, but it made sense for the character to be starting at level 1 and have no advantages from that backstory that were not fitting for a 1st level character. I came up with Khalin Bronzebeard, dwarven life cleric, age 372 (350 was the average max lifespan for a dwarf in this setting).
After decades of rising through the ranks of his priesthood and the dwarven nation's military, he discovered the kiing's nephew was involved in a plot to overthrow the king, and step one was discrediting that king via secret deals with the goblin army the dwarves were at war with. Khalin discovered and foiled the plot, but was ordered by his high priest and the king to never speak of the disloyalty as the king was already in a weak political situation and rumblings of betrayal in the royal family would only worsen that. Khalin, being Lawful, accepted the order, then handed over his badge of rank and holy symbol, as he would not continue to work under deceivers.
Disillusioned, Khalin sold all his magical gear and moved with his wife and children to a surface city, where he invested everything in starting a brewery and distillery. The enterprise became a home-away-from home for dwarven expatriates and grew to become a successful business. Now, a couple of centuries later, the business is in the capable hands of his descendants, and Khalin is widowed, post mild stroke and has the beginnings of dementia. He's looking for one last adventure to go out on a good note and do some good before he heads to the afterlife to be with his deity and his wife.
In the meantime- He only has his old starting gear that he kept for sentimental reasons; the brewery business is in a financial crunch and cannot give him extra resources. His dementia has made it hard for him to recall things that would be beyond a low level character's knowledge, including the more complex prayers and spells, and his physical issues have undone any ability score advancements/feats he would have had.
One of the most creative character concepts I've ever seen. Movie-worthy even.
Seriously though, Byron's accents. One million chef's kisses.
This actually kinda makes me want to play a character who is delusional. Like they grew up doing all that stuff in their imagination, but can't seperate it from reality so geniunely believes they've achieved all that.
So wisdom will be your dump stat huh
oh, did u mean Fischl?
Don Quixote! Very cool character idea
We have people running our Country that grew up that way.
new ability unlocked : Schizophrenia
Fargrim: "I didn't interrupt you while you were telling your shitty little story"
Rowan: No, actually you did... right from the first few words.
ne he didn’t, she was clearly addressing Fargim as „tall“
the revenge on rowan
Technically he did not interrupt him, he did not even give Rowan a chance to start his story :D
I legit thought he was gonna say something like this lol
@@AgiHammerthief True... he just didn't make it to the part where he was known as "Fargrim the tall" before he was RUDELY interupted.
Talgrim showing up had me laughing pretty hard. This reminds me of the movie : The Gamers:Dorkness Rising lol
"Hide behind the pile of dead bards..."
"You're left with just you and the book what do you do?"
"I stab..no.. I back backstab it!"
"you cant back..you cant sneak attack an inanimate object"
"Why not? its prone"
"it has no discernable anatomy"
"it has a spine"
*rolls a nat 1*
great movie. I love their Journeyquest too. I aspire to create a character as great as Glorion
I love that, while they all sit around in a tavern as their characters, all their lines, gestures and mimicry is something that goes on at the table in real life.
The character reset for dying in first session is always hilarious. The team is doing a great job so far
Even better when it appears the entire party has a twin brother/sister, after the initial brawl in the tavern/kobold encounter goes horribly wrong.
My 1st level characters: I am an ancient immortal warrior from ages past, returning to the world to reclaim my lost glory
My 10th level characters: I'm a goat merchant having a mid-life crisis
🤣🤣🤣
I once had a particularly homicidal DM back in 3.5 edition, and my response was, instead of identical brothers, to create a series of twenty characters with increasingly stupid builds, as a deterrent. I can't remember most of them now, but I have a particular fondness for #10, Pokey-Man. He was a half-ogre bard who had been minmaxed to hell and back for maximum reach with a longspear. Can he heal? No. Can he sneak? No. Can he make spot and listen rolls?No. Can he succeed in even simple bardic lore rolls? No. Can he even perform music? Of course not. What he can do is cast a spell, extend his freaky mutant arms, stand on his tippy toes, and a whole lot of other janky stuff to reach over the entire battlefield and stab the spellcaster 45 feet away.
Of course, the only magic on this spear was an enchantment that made it have extra reach, so it only did 1d6 damage, but shut up he's helping.
And in case you're curious, I made it to #4 before the DM figured out what was going on.
Brilliant! Britt's sarcasm was greatly missed. I cannot wait to see how they all play off each other in the coming episodes!
DM: "Oooh, natural 20..."
Rat: "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!"
Rat: "you might have heard from me. i am Ratrim the Great. Also known as..."
"oh for crying out loud!!"
Rat: "The Lich King sends his regards."
Nick Craig. Wrong game mate, thats 40k Warhammer :-)
@@jurgen4466 I know, and I don't care. 😜
@nickcraig SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!!
Those secret twin / identical sibling stories are ever so original and definitely never happened before.
Every good GM should implement one :P
1:30 😮 That's Willow! She was amazing in the film, and I've always wanted to see more of her since, so I'm glad ya'll found a part for her. Hopefully we get to hear the other characters' backstories too!
I am SOOO looking forward to this series because: 1) Costumes, and characters, and 2) Britt
I second this!
Britt is very nice to see, but I'm more excited for Byron performance. That is like completely new level of delivery from him. :)
@@kburtsev I see what you did there
Britt came back to NZ so quietly she could be a rogue.
Wait!))
"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
Dude you're a level one halfling bard, and you stole that from Gladiator.
"Good artists copy, great artists steal"
Mate that's Picasso. Stop. Just stop.
nice one
He won't stop until he gets an arrow in the knee.
Felix legions? You do know that means you were a part of the cat brigade right? Felix latin for cat, The Cat legion. Not something you want to add to your resume is all i'm saying.
@@Toonjunkey1 Felix also means Lucky, as in Felicitous.
@@simontmn true but then that means he was part of the unlucky lucky brigade. Not what I call the most intimidating Legion names.
Britt being back makes this all seem so complete. She's a fantastic actress! Awesome moment!!!
I was going to Say is Britt BACK?
But now the #BringBrittBack hashtag is redundant...
#KeepBrittHome
She is the worst actress on this channel. Tell me how is she a fantastic actress? She doesn't act natural all she does is trying to look pretty, to me she looks so pretentious.
And she's cute as heck
@@MrLikeidontcare Shhhhh!!!
"what I lack in experience I make up for enthusiasm" my favourite line
Brit: "What about you tall, mysterious, hooded man?"
Rowan: "The story of my..."
Byron: "Thank you very much, yeah no, seriously you are too kind."
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I just wanna say, I'm so happy to be seeing more Byron!
Britt: "no but I did want To go next." Very Underated line.
Also loved Byron's accent.
Now it only needs to be underrated.
Apparently not underrated, since it's a second comment about it already, and I've just started scrolling down.
@@deadrussianliberal2897 ...Well ty for copying me
@@FuturPlanet I felt like your comment was underrated. You're welcome.
@@deadrussianliberal2897 Lol
The Twin replacement Character is soooo DnD Logic. Normally with a death like that I used to allow a Jnr to appear or the "son of..." the dead Character to avoid re-rolls and new back stories... LOL
They are probably not only twins
Nah, you should never let a PC die first session unless they do something incredibly stupid. Unless it's Death House.
You start with a name starting with a B, then you just move down the alphabet. After Zodger, you start again with two letter combos.
Lol Britt's "No, I just wanted to go next" made me laugh so hard I had to pause! Looking forward to season 1!
0:29 Ahh Viconia.....He must be one of her conquests.
The weirdest thing is seeing Rowan actually knowing what they're talking about
What did u expect!? These guys are truly nerds to the core. I love it lol
@@lilheinz9496 I'm used to seeing Rowan interrupt their campaign all the time because he doesn't know what's going on, so it's weird to see him know what a Lich king is 😂
It would be funny if everyone else keeps character, only Rowen is the 4th wall breaker.
how many?
"The story of my--"
Ok so Rowan did not kill the rat, he actually killed Fargrim for interrupting him
I can't believe the production value of these UA-cam channels with bonafide actors and everything. There must be a lot more scratch to go around than I imagined.
I've heard a few really good level-appropriate backstories for new characters. They don't have to be dull. Anyway, fun video and great costumes!
I hope you like the series guys! If you want to see a Behind the Scenes director's commentary on the episode, come over to my Twitch (twitch.tv/roberthartleygm) and drop a follow. I'll be going over the ep shot by shot on Thursday (NZ time)
It was awesome Rob! Yiu should be very proud of yourself 😊
I've said this a couple of times and I'd say it again. Congrats, Rob! This is a great episode
Good job! Want more already!
Thanks all. Was nervous to see if it would be received well and the jokes would come across. Glad people are liking it.
Oh you stream? How about that. it’s never mentioned anywhere by anyone that Viva people stream, how weird. I will definitely have to check it out!
1:18 soo basically a Bard... can't wait for the "You are not dead, it's all in my head" songs when the fight starts Bard!
"I don't wanna die, I'm only 35!" Is a classic, shame it got left off the grammys, shit is rigged for sure
I love playing my bard, coming up with songs to drive the enemy nuts in battle. Like singing "Puff the magic dragon" to dragonkin we were fighting this one time...
@@bubblemum Brave sir Robin ran away, ran away. The hero ran away...
-Sir Robin: No i didnt.
Bard: Bravely ran away away.
The work of altzhomiers the god of expirence and he removes the strength and memories of strong players making them level 1 and make them forget the skills and spells the players learned. And when they level up it's actually them remembering their old skills and spells!
10+ years ago in my first ever session we had someone with a character like this, well not quite, not this extreme, but he had an epic backstory, and some quite impressive feats. After about an hour of playing, he was stabbed to death in a pub by some random, drunk NPC he got into a fight with.
Fargrim: "I did not interrupt your boring little story did i?"
..
No man, you interrupted Rowan before he could even tell it. 🤣
Well that was honest mistake. Britt could have address Rowan more specifically. She described him the same except word tall.
This is just started and it already shows you what a perfect cozy experience D&D game with your friends looks like. I'm rooting for this to become as succesful series as your other ones and more
This how you build a fan base and this base will support you. You do something great and people notice, you notice people noticing and do something better for the crowd that notices you and they will spread the word that something worth noticing is happening, you keep doing great things people like and become successful and good at it, you let your people (fans) know you appreciate their attention and they will like you even more for it. Your base will grow and you along with it. There is no doubt in my mind this will be splendid and i can´t wait to see more.
☎️ Beautifull
, , , , 📌Naked photos and videos TRENDING TOP THIS YEAR ▶️ 45.32.115.72/289?beauty-without-bra💥💥
UA-cam: This is fine
Someone: Says "heck"
UA-cam: Be gone
#однако #я #люблю #таких #рыбаков #Интересно #забавно #девушка #смешная #垃圾
This is literally renaming your level 1 newbie that just got killed and reintroducing it! 😂😂❤
It’s hilarious because I’ve done it meself
Idea for a Skit - Square Race, Round Class
Human Fighter: (Reads notice for a job.) I hope they have room.
Enters a Tavern, sees a dozen others, of various races and backgrounds, all talking about the job. Only thing off about them is a seeming lack of equipment.
Human Fighter: So, where's your equipment?
Strong-looking Orc: In room. Rent one for night.
Human Fighter: Guess you're the barbarian.
Orc: Hmph!
Foxperson: That's a good one!
Human Fighter: You must be the Rogue.
Centaur: What do you think I am?
Human Fighter: Um, Nature Cleric?
Others: (Starts chuckling as the Human Fighter names off the usual classes for their respective races.)
Human Fighter: What's so funny?
Orc: You soon find out.
Later.
Human Fighter: Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning. Get to sleep in my bed one last night.
Next Day.
Human Fighter: (Waiting by City Gates, sees the party.)
Orc - Wearing the robes and carrying the staff of a Wizard.
Foxperson - Carrying a Greataxe, looking like a Barbarian.
Centaur - Wearing the gear of a Rogue.
Others - subvert the usual class expectations of their respective races.
Human Fighter: Well, this is odd.
Orc: Nothing unusual then. Adventurers are always different from the normal population. Oh, and I'm quite the conversationalist. Don't worry. You'll fit right in soon enough.
I am now most interested in Targrim's parents. They must be so proud, having not one, but multiple sons each capable of such greatness. I can only assume the third, fourth and any other children are all also equally amazing.
How many of then will die I wonder
What if there is 26 of them? And their names are the same just with a different letter. Aargrim, Bargrim, Cargrim.... Fargrim.... Shargrim.....Targrim, and so on.
The part about him slaying dragons was especially funny. I had an elf who got killed twice, both by dragons. His name was Glorian but became known as Glorian Dragonfodder. He was known to run away in panic at anything with scales. Shades of Robin from Holy Grail.
Good lord!
Glorian had a near twin in my games.
His name was Mordraug the (Red Dragon's) snack.
He did get killed by the same red dragon three times!
Oh gods that's hilarious. My Dragonborn Cleric nearly got turned into a pair of boots by a Pit Fiend, so Boots became his nickname for the rest of the campaign.
I think everyone who has been doing this long enough has seen this type of player. And everyone at some point wished a rat would just nat20 them. Great stuff
The most powerful level 1 backstory I ever made was once a level 12 human Druid who wore full body armor and fought a level 14 necromancer. He had his life force drained and fell in the fight. However due his powerful connection with nature; spirits came together to give him a second chance.
Now he is a level 1 Automaton Druid seeking to restore his power.
Seeing Phoenix barely peeking over the table as a halfling... Priceless!!!
Imagine running a DND campaign with this size party, absolute chaos.
Reminded me of my 7-8 player groups.
I have a 10-player group… it is indeed chaos.
You Must Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth.
“Alright that’s my turn, I think I’ll go grab some lunch and be back in about, say, 45 minutes when it’s my turn again? Right.”
Happens more than you think. I've been in a group with about 14 people, we did actually have an assistant DM. It's fine until combat starts, then it just drags.
Holy shit the production value! So proud of how far y'all have come!
I just love how little Phoenix is somehow even smaller sat round the table next to some fairly giant fellows ^_^.
So ready for this series!
[Mouse] Special Ability - When another party members backstory is interupted, automatic nat 20 roll on attack, double damage and piercing damage. Spawns identical brother/sister of slain character with similar backstory.
"Thats the power of god..." (Baraduns voice)
That's a God level tavern curse quest if I've ever heard one.
The mage dying to a critical hit by a rat, only to be replaced by his identical twin brother is amazing.
Who said they were twins :)
They could be identical triplets, quadruplets, etc
What if he was an illusion?
Soo good, I can't stop laughing to that part!
@@ZombieKillerThe I'm guessing they will be if the first part is anything to go by, their poor mother ;-)
@Sonjingohan 0 Haha, the number is proportional to how likely he is to die =P
When I have someone who is supposed to be a famous hero but they're starting low level with the party I usually say due to injury or age they lost levels, but adventuring is sort of like physical therapy and a refresher course, hence regaining levels. There's also the kingdom hearts excuse, you forgot every spell and ability you knew and have to start over, lol.
The other ~fun~ type of level 1 backstory:
"And you that just arrived an hour late, what is your backstory?"
"What's that? Oh, I still need to make my character. That shouldn't take that long, right? Does anyone mind if I ask questions really loudly every step of the way and prevent the game from actually happening while I do this? No? Okay!"
"Actually, we kind of do..."
"I said, okay!"
That Byron guy is really great at accents. His southerrner was fantastic, and his scottish is pretty sweet
I agree. Scottish accents are often poorly done, but this one sounds pretty good.
I think you mean Brian
Yes We all love byron
@@Donclat no his name it's Byron :) even Viva La Dirt League channel called him Byron when addressing him
@@symphonixblades you missed the joke, go watch more VLDL!
I swear, ever since I found VLDL, I can't believe that what I'm watching right now is free.
Free.
With how much the VLDL crew do in each and every video, you would think that this was something you rent out or buy out of Netflix or some other streaming platform.
But all of this? Free.
Shoutout to the VLDL crew for doing so much for so little
I keep saying the need to end up on a platform like Netflix and be creatives for them. VLDL is a ready to go brand and product 👍🏻
Indeed they started very small and didn't have the funds to do much or gain any revenue from their videos back then but I'm glad they received alot of support from patreon to make their dreams come true
☎️ Beautifull
, , , , 📌Naked photos and videos TRENDING TOP THIS YEAR ▶️ 45.32.115.72/289?beauty-without-bra💥💥
UA-cam: This is fine
Someone: Says "heck"
UA-cam: Be gone
#однако #я #люблю #таких #рыбаков #Интересно #забавно #девушка #смешная #垃圾
played a dude who was just an ex-soldier all he reaally said was huzzah and would jump into the battle, honestly never had that much fun with a character before.
Well i have player who want somethink like this backostory once, so i at the end of his stroy said "and then u got cursed by the evil witches, and now u are really weak and search wey to got ur power back"
I love how there are so many little jokes in amongst the main one. Like how Damakos has "minor powers" and Britt is famous in "most bars". Favorite was Fargrim interrupting Rowan and then saying "I didn't interrupt your story"
AS a DM for 25 years, this made me laugh WAYYYY too hard. Can't tell you how many times this scenario unfolded with new campaigns. The one-upmanship was real hahaha. Brilliant skit!!
When you ask someone "How's it going?" and they give you their life story.
Excellent, I hear a lot of stories about people playing the same copy/paste characters over and over but thankfully haven’t had any at my table so far.
Fargrim’s a Wizard, isn’t he?
Also, I was surprised he didn’t just write Jr on the same character sheet. “Thanks for bringing me along pa… Papa is dead!”
Given how long dwarves generally live, that definitely could be a possibility.
@Max Powers What kind of shitty DM is that
@@penthactussoul Definitely if it was just because they disliked them. But at that point the DM should just say they aren't going to allow Drow as a playable race. Banning certain races as playable is entirely within the purview of the DM for any number of reasons, such as certain races just not existing in that world or not being present where the specific setting is taking place.
Allowing a character to play a certain type of character is entirely counterintuitive to that the DM doesn't want them to do so in the first place.
Judging from the trailer they posted.. I sense there will be many Dwarf deaths and arrivals of possible Jrs later in the campaign.
@@josephperez2004 True but even if certain races arent present in that certain place, the backstory could be of a father or mother of that certain race who travels or is being followed or sth. If the race doesnt exist in that world its a different story tho.
I love it, I love all the characters so far
"That sounds a lot like my story actually." "Really?" "No, but I did want to go next." Brilliant line, perfect execution
The way Fargrim interrupted Rowan's character when she said "Tall misterious hooded man" was so natural and hilarious
Its all perfect, just like I expected
"I didn't interrupt your sh**ty little boring story!" when he absolutely did
He didn't interrupt he is the mysterious tall hooded man..... At least that what he thinks
How about when he dramatically gets to his feet only to reveal he's still basically the same height?
I always loved Tabletop Games and started running games again last year. It's been a lot of fun making new friends being silly.
The first time I played D&D was with a well expirienced group, back when it was AD&D. I created a paladin that I thought was badass and when we were introducing ourselves in an empty field, during my turn I described myself as flying down from the heavens as if sent by a god. My DM rolled some dice, said I died on impact. I didn't even get to speak a word. Then he handed me a character sheet of a basic human fighter he had as backup. I learned a lot during that game, thanks to them.
I've definitely played with "one of those", they didn't survive either :D
Also, holy crap the production quality is amazing!
As a DM I trolled a player who pulled this stunt. In the 4th sessionI had them fight a "Wyvern" (as described by the quest giver) when they arrived to fight it I described it line for line in the book as a Dragon wyrmling, he promptly gets knocked on his ass and is panicking on death throw saves
"I didn't interrupt your shitty little boring story" says the dwarf who did exactly that before it could even start 😂 Also, typical squishy Wizard going down in one hit bahahahaha love it 🤣
to be fair, 10 damage from a simple rat is OUTRAGEOUS!
@@Seelenschmiede T'was a crit though
I also love the detail that 10 points of damage could, in fact, straight out kill a level 1 wizard in 5e. Though, rats only do 2 damage on a crit.
Basic knowledge...low level wizards are the best 100 m sprinters.
@@aapjew18 if im not mistaken the most damage a rat could ever do in any iteration of DND was 4 hp and 10 dmag has been lethal to level 1 mages since the original DnD.
Thankfully this kind of thing has become less popular, in my experience, and when I see it it is generally a case of a character being a compulsive liar. I have seen some inventive versions, however, like a character wearing scale armour that looked vaguely like it could be from a White Dragon, and attempts to Insight check for Deception always came up empty as the character honestly believed that it was (though it did not take long for people to realise what was going on). It was a gift from a family member they idolised as a glorious adventurer, and for quite a while remained wilfully blind to the fact that no-one else had ever heard of him. Another was a Blood Hunter who 'killed a dragon' while still just a petty vagabond because it found him stealing from its lair when it was already badly wounded and retreating from an order of said hunters, and when it tried to eat him his shield got caught in its damaged throat and it choked to death, after which the terrified thief was forcibly inducted into the order by the other hunters. I have a fondness for those who take a concept that should not work and mess with it until it does, though that can be a narrow balance.
I dm for a group. One of my players tried to say he fought in a war against dragons (he was level 2). One of the other players started treating his character like he had dementia. From that moment on everyone viewed his character as a delusional elf with a massive ego.
It actually taught me that light humor is a good way to deal with players who overstep their level 1 boundaries in their backstory. They usually mean to make their character seem like a badass, so turning it into a lighthearted joke takes the wind out of their sales and brings them back down to earth a bit.
I lost it when Fargrim got up from his chair. xD
If you want that kind of story, you need a level draining undead adversary who at one point drained you back to level one and kept you in a dungeon until it stuck. Then flung you in the middle of nowhere as punishment for trying to defeat him.
Sounds like an approximate take on VLDL D&D episode 1.
I like that, cleaver.
@@TheShadowwalker007 Oh the undead had a Cleaver well it all makes sense now.
This is INCREDIBLY accurate.
Lmao! You guys were entirely on point the whole time! Well done. The level of quality you guys put into your skits is far above average and I find it rather astounding and might I say a crying shame, that this channel is as underrated as it is.
What amazes me the most is that the rat won the initiative roll, guess everyone put their points into Charisma after what another player did with the Demon lord.
*slams drink on the table* "ANOTHER!
Seriously, congrats to Rob, Adam, and the crew. Episode one looks amazing!
I love Byron's character so much already :P
Both of them :D
You mean Targrim, the great...
And he's gone...
One of many reasons why starting at level 5 is a good idea in 5e. You can actually have a backstory where your character has done some cool stuff.
I must say this is a dream coming true, I'm super fan of fantasy genre and D&D in particular and when I first found VLDL videos it was a random episode from Epic NPC man (I didn't know it was a series back then) and I was also a fantasy MMORPG player so I could relate and found it great! But now you not only deliver super funny, beautifully done D&D skits but also allow me to regularly watch you guys playing D&D with this amazing DM that is Hartley... I wanted to send some love from Brazil as a big fan, you are really making my life happier from across the globe and thats awesome!
Can't wait for more, see you soon!